Fermentation has been used for preserving foods for centuries prior to the invention of pasteurization and sterilization, and every culture has a variety of fermented products as part of its diet. This paper reviews the diversity of fermented foods and beverages from Latin America; these fermented products are produced by traditional methods that exploit mixed cultures of various nonpathogenic microorganisms. Fermented foods covered in this review include maize, cassava, palm sap, sugar cane juice, cocoa, and milk. We explore the history of some Colombian fermented foods and beverages, which are today part of the tradition of some ethnic groups, and evaluate their technology, microbiology, the presence of some nutritional factors, and safety concerns. To the best of our knowledge, this is the 1st systematic review on Colombian fermented beverages and foods, and we believe that it may contribute to valorize these products that are still part of the Latin America tradition.

Background: The leafcutter ant (Atta cephalotes) is associated with losses in the agricultural sector, due to its defoliating activity; for its control, biological, mechanical and chemical methods have been developed, the latter associated with adverse effects on human and environmental health. This research validated in the field for the control of the leafcutter ant (A. cephalotes) using a mixture of Beauveria bassiana and Trichoderma lignorum spores. Methods: The effectiveness from the combination of spores of B. bassiana and T. lignorum with an initial concentration of 2 × 10⁹ spores/ml, in the following proportions of B. bassiana and T. lignorum, A (1:1), of each fungus. It was evaluated within the university campus, comparing it with two commercial formulations, Mycotrol (B. bassiana) and Mycobac (T. lignorum). Additionally, this formulation was evaluated in 49 nests distributed 16 in 14 locations in Colombia. The formulation application was carried out by direct application, using a pump at a speed of 10 ml/m². The effectiveness was estimated from the reduction of the flow of ants, evaluating the statistically significant differences using the ANOVA and Tukey-test. Results: Effective control of 90% of the nests was observed in the field phase in 60 days, except in nests with areas > 50 m² that were located in regions with high rainfall (annual average precipitation above 7000 mm), such as Buenaventura. Conclusions: In this work, it was demonstrated that the combination of B. bassiana and T. lignorum spores represent a viable alternative for the control of the leafcutter ant, in which the effectiveness is related to several factors, including the size of the nest and the rainfall in the area.

Fermentation is an ancient process used to prepare and preserve food. Currently, fermented beverages are part of the culture of people living in the Colombian Andean Region, and they are a vital part of their cosmology and ancestral vision. Chicha, Forcha, Champús, and Masato are some of the most common Colombian Andes region’s traditional fermented beverages. These drinks come from the fermentation of maize (Zea maize), but other cereals such as wheat or rye, could be used. The fermentation is carried out by a set of bacteria and yeasts that provide characteristic organoleptic properties of each beverage. In this work, the information collected from the metagenomics analyses by sequencing ITS 1-4 (Internal Transcriber Spacer) and the 16S ribosomal gene for fungi and the V3-V4 region of the rDNA for bacteria allowed us to identify the diversity present in these autochthonous fermented beverages made with maize. The sequencing analysis showed the presence of 39 bacterial and 20 fungal genera. In addition, we determined that only nine genera of bacteria and two genera of fungi affect the organoleptic properties of smell, colour, and flavour, given the production of compounds such as lactic acid, alcohol, and phenols, highlighting the critical role of these microorganisms. Our findings provide new insights into the core microbiota of these beverages, represented by Lactobacillus fermentum, Acetobacter pasteurianus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

El uso de insumos de origen químico ha generado pérdida de la diversidad microbiana que interviene en el ciclo del N como bacterias diazótrofas, que son inhibidas por saturación de los receptores encargados de activar la nitrogenasa. La fijación biológica de nitrógeno (FBN) en gramíneas forrajeras puede ser utilizada como servicio ecosistémico. El objetivo de este artículo de revisión fue analizar la contribución de gramíneas forrajeras a la FBN y su respuesta a la inoculación de diazótrofas no simbióticas para encontrar oportunidades de estudio. El análisis de la información se realizó a partir de la metodología prisma de revisiones sistemáticas y meta-análisis. Se destaca que las principales especies forrajeras que contribuyen con la FBN corresponden a Brachiaria sp. y Pennisetum sp. La inoculación de Azospirillum sp. ha generado efecto promotor de crecimiento en gramíneas, pero, la respuesta del forraje inoculado depende principalmente de la sinergia entre planta – bacteria presentándose efectos neutros, antagónicos y positivos.

I. La hormiga arriera está asociada a pérdidas en el sector agrícola, debido a su actividad defoliadora. El control de la especie se ha venido realizado artesanal, química y biológicamente, esta última con beneficios ambientales y de bajo riesgo para la salud humana. El objetivo de esta investigación fue desarrollar una formulación biológica para el control de la hormiga arriera (Atta cephalotes) utilizando una mezcla de esporas de dos hongos filamentosos (Beauveria bassiana y Trichoderma lignorum). M. Se desarrollaron 5 formulaciones empleando las relaciones: 1:1,6:4,4:6,3:7,2:8, de cepas de B. bassiana (ATCC MYA-4886) y T. lignorum (ATCC 8751), realizándoles prueba de viabilidad, patogenicidad y pureza. La colonización de las esporas en tejidos, se evaluó mediante la exposición de ratas Wistar a la formulación y sus componentes, realizando diagnóstico veterinario (disección) y cultivo microbiológico. R. Las formulaciones presentaron viabilidad a 24 h del 95+2 %, el 100% de las formulaciones no se contaminaron después de 10 días, las formulaciones 6.4, 1:1, 2:8 infectaron la totalidad de los individuos en 6 días, las formulaciones 4:6 y 3:7 a los 8 días, no se observó colonización de las cepas en la formulación, ni en tejidos de los biomodelos. C. Las formulaciones 6.4, 1:1, 2:8 de Beauveria bassiana y Trichoderma lignorum, poseen mayor actividad infecciosa sobre la hormiga arriera (Atta cephalotes).

"Los hongos son un grupo de organismos eucariotas, que se pueden presentar como hongos filamentosos (mohos) y hongos levaduriformes (levaduras), se caracterizan por segregar enzimas para realizar una digestión externa y absorber los nutrientes de sustancias disueltas. Los hongos han acompañado la vida productiva del hombre desde la antigüedad y cada día su importancia aumenta en campos como la agroindustria, la medicina y la biotecnología, debido a su capacidad de producción de una gran variedad de enzimas y metabolitos secundarios. En este libro se presenta a los lectores los resultados de algunas de las investigaciones realizadas con este importante grupo de organismos, un enfoque desde la Agroindustria y la Biotecnología llevadas a cabo por los grupos de investigación Biotecnología de la Universidad de San Buenaventura Cali y Microbiología, Industria y Ambiente de la Universidad Santiago de Cali."